Faithfully yours - When organization replaces organism, part one

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Published on Saturday, August 1, 2015

By Neil Steohschein

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There are two ways to study ancient history. One way—the common way—the way that can put an insomniac to sleep in 10 minutes—is to memorize lists and lists of people and dates, places and dates, events and more dates. That’s how I studied history in college. It…was…boring!

After many years of avoiding history like the plague, I’m back studying it again. But today I’m not interested in the lists. I am becoming more analytical as I read books, watch TV series or listen to podcasts. I am looking for clues that will help me determine how we got into some of the messes our world is in and what it will take to get us out of them.

One of the trends I’m studying is the development of organized religion. The proliferation of denominations, faith traditions and independent churches we see today was totally foreign to the first century church. It had its leaders (the apostles). Local congregations met in small groups, usually in private homes. Their services were lead by elders—people whose gifts included the ability to study and explain the Scriptures. Ministers traveled from house to house, meeting with and encouraging the local congregations.

The day to day work of the church was done by the people. Every member of every local house church was encouraged to use his or her resources (skills, talents and spiritual gifts) to help and encourage others. They were released to serve others as the opportunities for service arose.

Church leaders (apostles, ministers and elders) monitored what was going on. There were no rules—no restrictions on what a person could or could not do. It was assumed that everyone was working under Christ’s direction and as they were energized by the Spirit of God.

So what happened? How did organized religion evolve from this humble beginning?

As the number of local congregations increased, so did the need for another level of spiritual leadership. St. Paul created the office of “Bishop;” a spiritual leader who oversaw the churches in a specifically defined area. The Bishops were to visit the churches, encourage and help the ministers, and correct any false teaching or inappropriate activities when they arose.

But how could this be done effectively when the Bishops themselves could not agree on the specific doctrines and practices that should be taught in the church? It couldn’t be—so at the insistence of the Roman Emperor Constantine, who by this time had converted to Christianity, the Bishops convened in 325 AD, in the city of Nicea for the first official Church Council.

Two things emerged from this meeting. The first was a Confession of Faith known as the Nicean Creed—which is still recited today as part of the litany in many churches. So far, so good.

The second result of the Council of Nicea was the establishment of an organizational structure that, for the next 1,200 years, would determine who was qualified to teach the Scriptures and what doctrines they would teach. When people rebelled against existing organizations, they established new organizations which often replicated the ones they were rebelling against.

But all these ancient organizations (and their modern counterparts) have one thing in common—rules—lots of rules—the bigger the organization, the thicker the rule book. Ordinary people who want to serve God through the church face the restrictions of the rules; and often, in order to be true to their calling, leave organized religion altogether. But is that a wise response?

Next week—the value of organized religion in contemporary society.